This invention relates to both a griddle and a grill for cooking food items and, more specifically, to a steam heated griddle and grill cooking surface and a cover adapted to be placed over selected food items cooking thereon to also simultaneously cook them by steam introduced into the interior of the cover.
The cooking of items by placing them on a grilling surface and simultaneously introducing steam into the interior of a hood covering food items being grilled is known as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,039. The grill disclosed in that patent is unevenly heated by either burning charcoal or lava rocks heated by an electric heating element or a gas flame in contrast to applicants' grilling surface which is evenly heated by a source of pressurized steam whose temperature is accurately controlled.
Applicants have discovered that utilizing steam at a relatively high temperature and pressure to heat griddle-type cooking surfaces results in a surface that is the same temperature across its entire area within one or two degrees Fahrenheit in contrast to conventional griddles that can have a temperature variation as much as 70-80 degrees from area to another. The griddle of the present invention is made of approximately one inch thick aluminum which is cast around a serpentine pipe for carrying the steam. The cooking surface of the griddle, because it is maintained at an even, low temperature, can be provided with various stick resistant coatings or could be plated with different metals such as nickel. Such a stick resistant surface ensures that most of the desirable browning will remain on the food upon its removal from the griddle's surface. Cleaning the surface after use is just a matter of wiping it off with a cloth.
The temperature of the cooking surface is controlled with a microprocessor based, proportional controller with a thermocouple sensor in the steam generating boiler. Thus, the temperature can be maintained within one degree of the set point at any loading condition. Because of the extremely accurate temperature control, no part of the griddle surface ever heats hotter than the set point and thus food products placed thereon never smokes or burns. Applicants have further discovered that a grilling surface comprising a plurality of parallel-spaced apart tubular members having the same high temperature and pressure steam passing therethrough can serve to grill food items with the same efficiency as the griddle surface. A stick resistant coating would also be applied to the tubular member.
In addition, the present invention employs a novel steam-jet system that cooks food items placed on either the steam heated griddle or grill surface in approximately one-half the time and with one-half the food shrinkage found with cooking on conventional griddles. The system comprises the use of a separate low pressure boiler or steam generator connected to steam ports in the griddle surface or adjacent the grilling surface. Food products placed on the griddle or grill are covered with an enclosure and steam is injected beneath the enclosure and around the food product. The food products are thus heated on the bottom by contact with the griddle or grill surface and on the top and sides by contact with live saturated steam. This cooking method eliminates the evaporation of water from the food and reduces the time required for cooking. The food is more tender and juicy and has a higher yield than food cooked on conventional griddles or grills.
It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide a novel griddle and grill cooking apparatus utilizing steam heat.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a griddle and grill that is capable of cooking food items simultaneously by both conduction and saturated steam.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a griddle-type cooking surface whose temperature is substantially uniform at any location on its surface.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a griddle having a novel metal cooking surface with a cast-in steam carrying tubular passageway.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and obvious from a study of the following description and accompanying drawings, which are merely illustrative of the present invention.